UPCOMING EVENTS

App developers rarely take steps that might lead to conflicts with Apple, but Netflix — maker of one of the App Store’s highest-grossing services — is openly pulling the tiger’s tail, India’s NDTV and TechCrunch have discovered. The video streaming giant has confirmed that it’s “testing the iTunes payment method” in 33 countries through September 30, specifically preventing new or lapsed customers in those countries from purchasing in-app subscriptions and directing them to its own web page instead.

For years, Netflix customers have had two subscription options: Netflix’s own site, or directly through in-app purchases. In addition to demanding 30 percent of app subscription revenues, Apple initially mandated that developers could not charge more for in-app purchases than developer-direct purchases. Developers struggled with Apple’s demands, in some cases raising their prices across the board, and in others cutting into their own profits. Faced with increasingly open displays of dissent, Apple later cut its subscription take to 15 percent after the first year.

Additionally, Apple has quietly been working on a streaming video service of its own, though it has not said whether its service will supplant or augment Netflix’s offering. The fact that Netflix would presume to disrupt Apple’s billing relationship with Netflix customers suggests that it believes the new service will be adversarial rather than complementary, and is doing what’s in its best interest while it still can.

According to its billing FAQs, Netflix cut off Google Play subscription billing for new or rejoining customers in May. The company now directs Google Play users to sign up for new accounts through its own site.